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here’s a lot more to Suffolk than idyllic beaches, gorgeous country pubs and pristine heathland you know. Head to Snape Maltings by the River Alde, and you can shop, stroll, eat and admire contemporary art – all in one pretty place.

Despite the evil-sounding name, (which is said to have influenced JK Rowling to name one of Harry Potter’s nasty teachers, Severus, after it) Snape is full of good things. Back in the 19th century it was used for malting barley, but has been imaginatively reinvented as a collection of quirky boutiques and galleries, a concert hall and bustling café.

Shop for original art by local artists, in the Shop on the Quay and the Pond Gallery, buy beautiful clothes in the Samphire boutique or stylish bits and bobs for your home in the House and Garden shop – whatever takes your fancy really.

And after a leisurely cuppa in the Granary Tea Shop or the Metfield Bakery Deli, why not take a guided stroll amble along the Alde Estuary with an RSPB leader, who’ll introduce you to some of the local wildlife (there’s a lot to see).